The love of my life

10. Bus trip

The bus drove on the highway with college students singing along to the latest songs as Tejas looked around enjoying for a while and then put on Peppa pig on his mom's phone, putting his head in her lap and his feet on the adjacent seat reserved for him.

Ekansh on the other hand sat on the end of the bus with the students known for their power to conjure up chaos. The backbenchers.

He was looking carefully to detect any signs of alcohol bottles, or anything against the university regulations, without hovering over or hampering their fun.

"Sir, lays?" A girl asked batting her eyelashes at him and he shaked his head.

"No thanks." He said and she didn't budge.

"Come on sir, one wouldn't ruin your abs. You can just go harder at the gym, later." She said and he shaked his head.

"Firstly, that's not how it works. You might be just a veterinary doctor, but the digestion and metabolism in biochemistry is same. You should know it. Secondly, why would you assume I go to a gym?"

"Because.. Umm... You're hot...to be a professor.." She said batting her eyelashes again and he wanted to jump out of the window.

That's when an angel came to his rescue.

"Hey Kiera, please take attendance on a plain sheet for me once again." Daman said, standing near the back of the moving bus.

"Mam, but..." she goes to say.
"And make sure they sign. I think someone sneaked in a proxy earlier. The headcount is less than the people marked." She said as the student rolled her eyes.

"I can just do that later." she said as Daman smiled.

"And I can just send the screenshot of your drunk instagram stories, from last month when you submitted a medical for short attendance." She replied and Kiera just shrugged.

"I'll do it right now, MAM" She said the last word sarcastically and walked away.

"Thank you." Ekansh said and she just nodded turning to walk towards the front.

That's when she noticed. He did go to the gym. His sleeve hugged his bicep tightly and so did his chest, with his belly sharply tucked in.

The girls had rated him a 7/10 all those years ago, but right now he was a sure 9.5/10.

She rolled her eyes at thinking something so inappropriate.

"Oh, is the attendance really..." He asked as she turned back to answer.

"No, it's not. And I unblocked you. Call me if you need help again. These traps are more common than you'd think." She said and he smiled.

"I can handle it. I dated someone like that... Remember?" He said refering to his ex-girlfriend Tara, who was known for showing cleavage to get passing marks and attendance.

"I wish I could just forget." She said and finally walked away.

After around ten minutes of looking at her WhatsApp display picture of her with her son, he closed the tab and looked on other social media apps.

He was still very much blocked on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat.
He decided to take it one step at a time, like the steps he took towards her bus seat in the front row between the crowd of students now dancing in the bus.

She was sitting on the seat with her eyes closed, her son sleeping in her lap and as soon as Ekansh stepped closer, she opened her eyes.

"Dr. Sandhu?" She says and he points to the seat next to where her son's legs were.
"May I?" He asks and she knew there were eyes on her.

Being a single teacher was hard, and being a widow was harder. If she said No the stories that there was something between both of them and they had a fight would circle the students gossip.

"Sure." She said behaving professionally.

"So, what happened at daycare?" He asked trying to make small talk.

He hated small talk and sucked at it, but the thing about how they always connected in the past was that he never needed to make small talk with her.

The phone conversations would always be deep hearted and last until the sun's rays could come rushing in through the gap between the curtains in her room.

"Lice outbreak." She answered and looked away and out of the window.

"That's a serious issue..." He said hoping it would make her laugh.

"Yes, for toddlers. They'll itch their scalps like crazy and some even have an allergic reaction."

"In our times, the teacher would just send the kid itching their scalp home and never tell another soul." he replied and she just nodded.

Where was the Daman that would never shut up? He wondered to himself and looked back at the students to ensure everything was fine.

He sat one seat away from her and the rest of the journey passed silently. He didn't even know what he was doing, trying to talk to her. It was him, that had hurt her so much.

Broke her to the core, and shattered every hope Daman had in true love. She was a believer and a dreamer, not the realist who he was sitting with right now.

What had life done to her?
Was he partially responsible for this new Daman or was it her husband's death that changed her so much...

"We're here." The driver announced and parked the bus as Daman's eyes fluttered open.

"Students, you represent your college here, so please be on your best behavior." He announced as students started walking out and he looked at Daman, who sat confused how to pick up both her and Tejas' bags and get up with Tejas lying on her.

"I'll hold him..." He says reaching with both his hands as she shook her head.

"Just pick him up, and I'll pick the bags. Then, you can hand him back." She said and then paused, "Or I'll just wake him up, he'll love it here." she said as he shook his head and picked up Tejas.

"Ekansh, that's my son." She whisper shouted.

"And you're being wierd. You know he's perfectly safe with me. Let's complete the attendance, formalities and the guest lecture on dog training. We'll wake him up, when it's time for dogs. Until then let him sleep." He said and she just huffed.

She knew Tejas was safe with him. She had watched him with his two nephews multiple times on video call when they lived together, but she just wasn't ready to introduce them.

She wasn't ready to let him back in her life. Not even as a friend.

She picked up her side bag, and Tejas' backpack walking out and head counting students.

"Okay students, just a last warning. You misbehave and lose attendance for a week." She said dismissing the class as they groaned and walked away towards the set chairs.

"You didn't have to be so strict." He said and she almost chuckled.

"It's your fourth day and my third year. You'll learn." She said and gestured to hand back her son.

"He's more comfortable. Just let him be." He said and she was reluctant, so he did try to peel him off his shoulder but Tejas just clinged to it, even more tightly.

"Find me as soon as he wakes up. He'll be grumpy, and if he starts crying, it will not be pleasant." she said hoping it would not come to that.

The thing was, that Tejas still breastfed when he was very upset. He wouldn't stop crying, and demand only one thing.
Daman's milk.

And this was neither the place nor time for that.